London area of Tower Hamlets guide

What to do and where to stay in London's Tower Hamlets neighbourhood

The great bulk of William the Conqueror's Tower of London looms over the area of Tower Hamlets, a high citadel where the French ruler could fortify himself against his rebellious subjects. The eastern streets of Tower Hamlets are now filled with a different kind of rebellion, as young artists take over abandoned buildings to stage spontaneous exhibitions of revolutionary new work and underground nightclubs are the hotbed of London's punk and New Rave scene. In the south of the area, Tower Bridge and St Katherine'''s Dock provide attractive views, which can be enjoyed from The Tower hotel, and the Canary Wharf complex is home to London's (soon to be second) tallest building and the headquarters of many of the world's most powerful corporations - with the notable exception of Bear Stearns, the notorious US investment bank which went bust during the latest global financial crisis.